System and method for maintenance and monitoring of filtrations systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10382957-B2
Application number	US-201515306169-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2015
Priority date	Apr 24, 2014
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward methods, apparatuses and systems for operating at a fluid-maintenance site. In certain embodiments, the methods, apparatuses, and systems include a fluid filter, a sensor that provides parameters that characterize fluid flowing through the fluid filter, and a wireless interface circuit. The wireless interface circuit operates in a set-up mode and a normal-operation mode. In the set-up mode, the wireless interface circuit operates by communicating authentication data with a mobile data-processing device while the mobile data-processing device is proximate to the fluid-maintenance site. In the normal-operation mode, the wireless interface circuit operates by sending the parameters wirelessly, according to the authentication protocol, to a remotely-situated server via a wireless communication medium and a broadband connection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid-filter monitor apparatus for operating at a fluid-maintenance site, the fluid-filter monitor apparatus comprising:
a fluid filter, one or more sensors configured and arranged to provide parameters that characterize fluid flowing through the fluid filter, and a wireless interface circuit;
the wireless interface circuit configured and arranged to
operate in a set-up mode by communicating authentication data over a short-distance wireless communication medium with a mobile data-processing device while the mobile data-processing device is proximate to the fluid-maintenance site, the authentication data being defined by an authentication protocol and including connection-authorization information for connecting to a local WiFi network for communication to a remotely-situated server; and
operate in a normal-operation mode by sending the parameters wirelessly, according to the authentication protocol, to the remotely-situated server via a wireless communication medium and a broadband connection.

2. The fluid-filter monitor apparatus of claim 1 , further including the remotely-situated server, wherein the remotely-situated server includes a database with entries correlating the parameters with filter-identification information corresponding to the fluid filter.

3. The fluid-filter monitor apparatus of claim 1 , further including the remotely-situated server, wherein the remotely-situated server includes a database with entries correlating filter-identification information or the fluid filter with operator-identification information corresponding to the mobile data-processing device.

4. The fluid-filter monitor apparatus of claim 1 , further including a set of mobile data-processing devices including the mobile data-processing device, wherein the set of mobile data-processing devices is configured and arranged with a program to operate in the set-up mode by communicating authentication data wirelessly with the wireless interface circuit according to the authentication protocol and, thereafter, to communicate with the remotely-situated server database for accessing information corresponding to operational or maintenance information for the fluid filter.

5. The fluid-filter monitor apparatus of claim 1 , further including a set of mobile data-processing devices including the mobile data-processing device, wherein the set of mobile data-processing devices is configured and arranged with a program to operate in the set-up mode by communicating authentication data with the wireless interface circuit according to the authentication protocol and, thereafter, to communicate with the remotely-situated server database wirelessly for accessing information corresponding to operational or maintenance information for the fluid filter.

6. The fluid-filter monitor apparatus of claim 1 , further including the remotely-situated server and the mobile data-processing device, wherein the remotely-situated server includes a database with entries correlating the parameters with filter-identification information corresponding to the fluid filter and correlating the identification information of the fluid filter with operator-identification information corresponding to the mobile data-processing device, and wherein the mobile data-processing device is configured and arranged with a program to operate in the set-up mode by communicating authentication data with the wireless interface circuit according to the authentication protocol, and wherein a set of mobile data-processing devices including the mobile data-processing device are configured and arranged to communicate with the remotely-situated server database for accessing information corresponding to operational or maintenance information for the fluid filter.

7. The fluid-filter monitor apparatus of claim 1 comprising a first fluid-filter monitor apparatus, another fluid-filter monitor apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a second fluid-filter monitor apparatus, and where each of the first fluid-filter monitor apparatus and the second fluid-filter monitor apparatus are configured and arranged to communicate with the remotely-situated server.

8. The fluid-filter monitor apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the first fluid-filter monitor apparatus and the second fluid-filter monitor apparatus are located proximate one another at the fluid-maintenance site, and configured and arranged to communicate parameters of each of the fluid-filters to the remotely-situated server by assigning one of the wireless interface circuits of the two fluid-filter monitor apparatuses as a master and the other wireless interface circuit as a slave,
the slave wireless interface circuit configured and arranged to receive fluid-filter parameters from the sensor of the first fluid-filter monitor apparatus and transmit the parameters to the master wireless interface circuit, and
the master wireless interface circuit configured and arranged to receive the transmission from the slave wireless interface circuit, receive fluid-filter parameters from the sensor of the second fluid-filter monitor apparatus, and transmit the parameters of the first fluid-filter monitor apparatus and the second fluid-filter monitor apparatus to the remotely-situated server.

9. An apparatus comprising:
a first fluid-filter monitor for operating at a first fluid-maintenance site and a second fluid-filter monitor for operating at a second fluid-maintenance site, each of the first and second fluid-filter monitors including a fluid filter, one or more sensors configured and arranged to provide parameters that characterize fluid flowing through the fluid filter, and a wireless interface circuit,
a remotely-situated server includes a database with entries correlating identification information corresponding to and indicative of the parameters of the respective fluid filters at the first and second fluid-maintenance sites,
wherein the wireless interface circuit of the first fluid-filter monitor is configured and arranged to
operate in a set-up mode by communicating authentication data over a short-distance wireless communication medium with at least one mobile data-processing device while said at least one mobile data-processing device is proximate to the fluid-maintenance site, the authentication data being defined by an authentication protocol and including connection-authorization information for connecting to a local WiFi network for communication to the remotely-situated server; and
operate in a normal-operation mode by sending the parameters wirelessly, according to the authentication protocol, to the remotely-situated server via a wireless communication medium and a broadband connection; and

wherein the wireless interface circuit of the second fluid-filter monitor is configured and arranged to
operate in a set-up mode by communicating authentication data over a short-distance wireless communication medium with said at least one mobile data-processing device while said at least one mobile data-processing device is proximate to the fluid-maintenance site, the authentication data being defined by an authentication protocol and including connection-authorization information for connecting to the remotely-situated server; and
operate in a normal-operation mode by sending the parameters wirelessly, according to the authentication protocol, to the remotely-situated server via a wireless communication medium and a broadband connection, and wherein the remotely-situated server is configured and arranged to maintain status information based on the parameters, and to communicate notifications indicative of the status of each of the first fluid-filter monitor and the second fluid-filter monitor.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , furt

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Patel Hemang R
• Cormier Michael N
• Mazzoni Justin M

Classifications

• H04Q9/00 Primary

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• H04W12/06 Primary

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04Q2209/823

  where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm · CPC title

• H04Q2209/40

  using a wireless architecture · CPC title

• H04L63/08

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title